


Beach City Youth

by Paraportobello



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Bed-Wetting, Bisexual Male Character, Cheating, Depression, F/M, Food Sex, Foot Fetish, Headcanon, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Infidelity, Intercrural Sex, Jealousy, Love Triangles, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Masturbation, Middle School, Minor Original Character(s), Nightmares, Original Character(s), POV Multiple, Petty Rivalry, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Puberty, Queer Youth, Romance, Shota, Shower Sex, Sibling Incest, Suicide, Teenage Drama, Trauma, Wet Dream, Youth Group, athletics, conjecture, deceased mother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-03-27 09:28:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13878018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paraportobello/pseuds/Paraportobello
Summary: Follow Peedee, Steven, Connie, and others as they explore themselves, puberty, and everything else life has to throw at them in this new series, Beach City Youth. In this chapter; Peedee has an unfortunate encounter with his older brother, Ronaldo. Steven decides to start a youth group.





	1. Ch. 1 A Secret Between Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow Peedee, Steven, Connie, and others as they explore themselves, puberty, and everything else life has to throw at them in this new series, Beach City Youth. In this chapter; Peedee has an unfortunate encounter with his older brother, Ronaldo. Steven decides to start a youth group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic contains material not suitable for minor audiences. It handles severe topics, some of them eroticised for exploratory purposes. You may take issue with this, to which I perfectly understand. But for those of you who dare to experiment with the land of fiction and imagination, I'm sure you'll enjoy this series. At the moment I write this, it is unclear exactly how long I plan to make it. But I do intend to finish it. You may be wondering why, of all people, I decided to make Peedee the main character. You see, Peedee is special to me. And because we don't see him often in the show, I thought I'd take it upon myself to build a proper world for him. This story will be filled with headcanons and conjecture, but I assure you they are all tied to and conceived through canon information provided within the show itself. If at any point my work comes into conflict with future information revealed in the source material, I will come back and adjust the story.
> 
> With all that said, please enjoy.
> 
> EDIT (3/7/2018): After getting some feedback from some more experienced writer friends, I took it upon myself to do some touch up on the first three chapters. I didn't change anything story wise, just reworded some paragraphs to flow a little better. I also tried to remove a lot of 'thought' verbs.

_**BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP.**_ Peedee softly murmured nonsense as the alarm on his phone went off. He sat up to stretch his arms and yawn. _**BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP.**_ Peedee let the alarm ring on a little longer as he threw off his blanket and stepped out of bed. His toes dug into the carpet as he continued stretching. _**BEEP BEEP. BEEP BEEP. BEE-**_  
  
“Peeeeedeeeee, turn the alaaarm ooooffff” Ronaldo groaned from his side of the room, covering his ears with pillows.  
  
Peedee giggled and turned it off. He and Ronaldo have always shared a room. Not because they didn't have enough space in the house for them both to have their own room, rather, because Peedee always felt safer at night with his older brother. For privacy, the room was divided down the middle with, well, dividers of course. Peedee looked around the room at the blue walls covered in posters and photos. He smiled softly and began to prep for a shower. Peedee removed his tank top and slid off his Crying Breakfast Friends undies. The undies were sticky and warm, and his penis about half erect, which made his face turn a faint shade of red. Peedee learned about this in Health class recently. They called it a ‘wet dream’. This wasn't his first wet dream though. His wet dreams began a few months earlier. He was too embarrassed to tell his dad or Ronaldo, so he kept it to himself. He almost brought it up to Steven last week, but chickened out. But he eventually got his answer at school in Health class. Out of not wanting his dad to know about this embarrassing moment, he kicked the undies under his bed. Peedee then gathered some fresh clothes and went to the bathroom. He didn't mind walking through the hall naked in the morning since his father was always downstairs in the kitchen reading the paper, but it was a bit weird walking past the framed photos of family and memorable events that lined the walls. As Peedee entered the bathroom, he set his clothes down on the sink. The bathroom was your typical American bathroom. Linoleum floors, tan painted walls, and of course a toilet and sink which were both located to the left. He closed the door behind him and opened the shower curtain.  
  
“Ew, Ronaldo…” he said.  
  
Peedee grimaced, spotting a filthy old rag hanging on the faucet. Ronaldo left them up after his shower all the time, no matter how much he'd been told not to. Peedee pinched the rag, lifting it up by the corner and made an exaggerated gagging noise as it dripped on the floor. Upon discarding the rag into the laundry hamper, he turned on the shower and set it to his preferred temperature. He then stepped in and closed the curtain. Peedee sighed as the warm water ran over his body. As he washed himself, Steven worked his way into Peedee's thoughts. Why, he wasn't sure. But he couldn't help himself. It started out as innocent thoughts. What he's been up to, why his family is so weird, why he couldn't for once just order something from the damned menu at work like any normal person. Peedee chuckled at that one. Steven was just so weird. Yet, despite that, so likable. Peedee was absolutely certain that any other kid his age that acted like Steven, he would avoid. But Steven was definitely different. No matter how annoying or odd that boy was, you had to love him. _Love?_ Peedee froze. He didn't mean to use that word in his thoughts. A funny feeling manifested in Peedee's groin. _Oh no…_ Peedee thought to himself. He had sprung an erection, brought on by his admiration for Steven. _I shouldn't be thinking of him like that! But…_ Peedee couldn't help himself. As much as he wanted not to, it was clear to him that there was only one way of getting rid of this boner fast. He grasped the shaft with his right hand and motioned back and forth. Peedee occasionally stuck the tip of his finger beneath the foreskin to massage the head. Gently biting his lip, Peedee engaged in a series of sexual fantasies. Steven nude, covered in fry bits, Peedee would eat the bits off of Steven’s soft, pink, chubby body. Nibbling the bits in key sensitive areas where he was sure to cause stimulation from his moist lips or rough tongue. Next, Steven feeding Peedee fries using his feet, grasping the fries between his toes, while Peedee masturbated. There wasn't much Peedee would object to doing with Steven. He had crushed hard on him since they were tots. He could feel himself getting close to climax. Peedee engaged in another fantasy. Steven on all fours, his chubby round ass bouncing gently, his hole ready for pounding. Peedee was prepared to mount his pink friend when he was suddenly pulled from his fantasy.  
  
_**SLAM.**_ The bathroom door flew open dramatically. Peedee let out a frightened shriek and slipped. His brother Ronaldo walked in and approached the toilet. Peedee got up and peeked out through the curtain, giving Ronaldo a scornful gaze.  
  
“Ronaldo! I’m taking a shower!” Peedee shouted. He was used to this, but it still got on his nerves every time.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, I see that. Don’t get so pissy, Peedee.” Ronaldo said, pulling his boxers down to pee.  
  
Peedee blushed hard seeing his older brother’s privates. It wasn’t the first time he had seen them. In fact, he’s pretty used to seeing them. They are brothers after all. They bathed together when they were younger and they change in front of each other sometimes. But these kinds of things always got Peedee flustered. And oddly enough, Peedee retained his boner. As Ronaldo finished pissing, he started to take his shirt off.  
  
“I’m getting in with you, so hurry up and finish jacking off.” Ronaldo teased.  
  
“I-I’m… I’m not doing that!” Peedee stammered.  
  
Ronaldo laughed. “Dude, I could hear your hand smacking your pelvis from outside the door. Nothing to be embarrassed about bro.” He said.  
  
Peedee blushed harder and fidgeted with embarrassment. “How long were you listening?” Peedee asked.  
  
Ronaldo threw open the curtain and stepped in, ignoring the question. “Look, you can do it while I’m in here, I won’t watch. I just don’t want you to use all the hot water.” Ronaldo explained, closing the curtain.  
  
Peedee awkwardly stroked his penis as Ronaldo washed himself. Peedee still wasn’t sure why his erection wasn’t deader than a Nazi at the battle of Stalingrad, but he didn’t want to argue with Ronaldo. Though something was definitely off. Ronaldo was acting different. He’s never taken such an interest in Peedee’s sexual discovery or puberty.  
  
“What’s wrong, need help?” Ronaldo joked awkwardly.  
  
Peedee laughed and pushed Ronaldo. “Ew, stop.” he responded.  
  
Peedee froze when he felt his hand was on Ronaldo’s dick. They both looked at each other for some seconds. Ronaldo then started to get hard. Peedee immediately withdrew his hand and backed up.  
  
“Ronaldo, what the heck?” Peedee asked, staring at Ronaldo’s thick erection in comical fear.  
  
“You’re the one who touched it!” Ronaldo replied. “Ugh, now I have to rub one out too.”  
  
“Ronaldo, I don’t think I like this whole situation.” Peedee said nervously.  
  
Ronaldo sighed dramatically. “Look, Peedee. We’re both gonna be late for school if we don’t get rid of these boners fast.”  
  
“Okay, I’ll just turn on the cold water and-”  
  
“No! I hate cold showers Peedee!” Ronaldo whined.  
  
Peedee grunted with annoyance. “Well, I don’t know what you expect me to do then.” Peedee put both his hands on his hips, his boner bobbing in the stream of water running from the shower head.  
  
For some reason unbeknownst to Peedee, this really turned Ronaldo on. It was just like those shotacon mangas he reads online. This was Ronaldo’s intention from the start. Ronaldo began jerking off, Peedee watching on with concern.  
  
“Peedee, I need to ask you to do something for me, and you have to promise not to tell dad.” Ronaldo said out of shame and desperation.  
  
Peedee gasped worriedly. “Ronaldo, that’s not funny.” But Peedee could tell by the look on Ronaldo’s face that he wasn’t joking.  
  
Peedee was conflicted. What Ronaldo was asking him for was illegal and wrong. Yet it didn’t turn him off. And if Peedee was honest with himself, he wasn’t quite sure how Ronaldo would respond to ‘no’. He reluctantly accepted his older brother’s request for assistance. “Okay, Ronaldo. But only this once…”  
  
Ronaldo quickly turned Peedee around and bent him over. “I promise, bro, it’ll be quick.” He said, whatever sense of shame in his voice replaced with pure lust.  
  
Peedee shrieked. “Ronaldo, what are you doing?!”  
  
“Relax, I’m just rubbing it between your thighs.” He assured.  
  
Ronaldo thrusted his thick member between Peedee’s thin, boyish thighs. His cock rubbed up against the underneath of Peedee’s own. Peedee whimpered nervously and closed his eyes. He wasn't sure how to feel at this very moment. His older brother, imposing sex on him, a minor. This entire scenario was a social and moral taboo . Yet, despite the feeling of shame and guilt, the wet and warm friction also gave rise to a sense of pleasure. Peedee didn’t like these conflicted feelings. It was all too wrong and awkward for him. He whimpered as the warm water streaming down provided lube for Ronaldo’s throbbing member. To justify his sense of pleasure, and speed up climax, Peedee decided to imagine his older brother as Steven. He smiled slightly after a bit. _Yes, just pretend it’s Steven._ Whatever it took to get this over with sooner. It only took Peedee 20 more seconds to cum. Ronaldo followed up shortly after, assaulting Peedee’s belly with semen. They both breathed heavily as Ronaldo backed off of his little brother. Peedee stood up straight and stretched his back. He then turned around, and grabbed his left arm with his right hand. Ronaldo rubbed the back of his head and avoided eye contact. The water from the shower washed the cum off of Peedee’s body as they stood in silence.  
  
Ronaldo was first to break the silence. “I think we should-”  
  
“Yeah” Peedee interrupted.  
  
“Okay, cool.” Ronaldo stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the towel rack.  
  
“Just, please don’t tell dad. Or anyone else…” Ronaldo begged.  
  
“Trust me, Ronaldo, I’m gonna do my best to forget this.” Peedee said, turning off the shower and stepping out.  
  
Ronaldo left the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Peedee put the toilet lid down and sat on it. He sat there in contemplation for a bit, his head in his hands. _Jesus, what did I just do?_ Peedee felt dirty. His eyes welled up, and he whimpered. _Did my brother really just have sex with me? Did I really let him do that to me?_ Peedee felt violated, but blamed himself. He did, after all, concede to it. Peedee wiped his eyes and stood up. He patted himself dry with a towel and placed it in the hamper. He grabbed his undies and socks and put them on. He followed up with his jeans, then tank top, and finally his button up shirt. Peedee wiped the fog off the mirror to look at his hair. He didn’t need to brush his hair. No brush would tame his curly dreads anyway. He just needed to run his fingers through them so they were evenly displaced. Peedee then started to brush his teeth. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he felt ashamed. Of all the people, his first time was with his brother? _Though, I guess it doesn’t count, considering he never penetrated._ He thought to himself. Not that it matters, he still committed a taboo. Peedee was always like this. High strung, constantly thinking and analyzing, and reserved. That’s why this was so serious to him. So out of character. Peedee just couldn’t wrap his head around the events that took place. Peedee spit his toothpaste into the sink, and rinsed his brush out. He then left the bathroom and headed straight for his bedroom to retrieve his book-bag.  
  
As Peedee entered the room, he looked over at Ronaldo’s side. The lamp was off, which indicated that Ronaldo must not be in there. But just to be sure, he shuffled over to the divider and peeked over. He was indeed alone. Peedee walked over to his desk and examined the items that lay upon its top. He was looking for his History homework. As he searched through the clutter of papers and moved books around, he started to panic. His homework wasn’t there. In a frantic manner, he opened all his desk drawers and removed all their contents. Still nothing. _Heck! Where did I put the darn thing?_ Peedee frantically scanned the room. His eyes landed on the bookshelf. _Ah! The bookshelf!_ Peedee darted over to it and searched through the columns of history books, science magazines, and recipe binders. He pulled various books off the shelf and flipped through them, but still, no homework.  
  
“Fffffu-” Peedee was quick to catch himself. He wasn’t allowed to curse. “Frick!” He grumbled.  
  
As Peedee was putting his books back in alphabetical and categorical order, a picture slipped out of his photo album. It was a photo of Steven and Connie on the beach. He remembered taking that photo a few months ago. They looked happy together, holding hands and looking at seashells. Peedee scowled at the photo. He never liked Connie that much. They both shared the same Pre-Algebra class and she always got better test scores than him. Peedee didn’t have time to be envious though, he had homework to find. As he slipped the photo back into the album, it hit him. _STEVEN!_ Peedee remembered where he left his homework. It was around lunch break yesterday for Peedee at the frystand when Steven just barged in without knocking or invitation. This is something Steven was notorious for. He distracted Peedee with some nonsensical story about fusing with his… Sister? Aunt? Who Amethyst was to Steven was irrelevant. Now Peedee remembered where his homework was. He must have left it at work!  
  
Peedee rushed over to his closet and grabbed his book-bag. He put it over his shoulder and rushed downstairs. As he ran past the kitchen, his father called to him.  
  
“Woah, Peedee! Peedee, it’s only 6:15. You know you can slow down, right?” His father said with a smile as he leaned over the kitchen table.  
  
Peedee backed up a few steps and leaned into the kitchen. “Dad, I left my homework at the stand yesterday! I need to hurry!”  
  
Mr. Fryman laughed. “Son, you’re the head of the track team. You could make it to the stand and back before I finish my coffee. You have plenty of time. Why don’t you come over here and eat breakfast first?”  
  
Peedee took some time to consider slowing down, but decided he couldn't. He responded with, “Sorry, but I really need to go get it. Can you please throw me the keys?”  
  
“If you insist.” Mr. Fryman said as he fished the keys from his pocket. As he tossed them, he stated, “Remember to lock the door back. I don’t want that Onion kid breaking in again and stealing our condiments.”  
  
“Yup!” Peedee assured, rushing to the door to put his shoes on.  
  
Normally, Peedee wore yellow crocs. But because he was going to school today, he had to wear something more appropriate. He slipped on his converse shoes and triple knotted the laces. He put the work keys in his pocket and opened the front door. He stepped out, closing the door behind him, and went into a jog. After he made it off his street, he picked up the pace a little. He ran the rest of the way there, barely breaking a sweat. It was true what his father said, he is the captain of the track and field team at school. Not only is he the best long-distance runner on the team, he’s also the most reliable and responsible member. Being a good role model for his team is important to him. If his teammates found out he didn’t do his homework, they might slack off themselves. What’s worse is the impression it would leave on his coach! To Peedee, getting his homework was of utmost importance. As he approached the fry stand, he slowed down. But as he slowed down, he furrowed his brow. Standing outside the stand was Steven. Of course Steven would be waiting outside the stand this early. He’s the only person in Beach City who loves those fries that much. Peedee stopped just a few feet from Steven and took a bit of a breather. He looked up at Steven, brow still furrowed, and noticed Steven was laying up against the door.  
  
“Steven, it’s like, 6:30” It was in fact not 6:30. It was actually 6:22. But Peedee was a modest kid, so he made a purposely exaggerated guess at the time. “Why are you out so early? You don’t go to school.”  
  
“I’m here for the bits!” Steven exclaimed. Of course he was.  
  
“Yeah, I figured you were. But you know, it’s not really healthy to eat that stuff this early in the morning. Besides, I have some bad news if that's what you're really here for.” Peedee said.  
  
“What happened?” Steven asked, concerned.  
  
Peedee looked at Steven, then to the fry stand, then back at Steven. How did this kid not notice the sign? The sign right on the window that said, quote, ‘Closed for Renovations’. Peedee cleared his throat and nodded towards the sign. Steven looked innocently at the sign on the window.  
  
“Ohhhhhhhh,” remarked Steven. “I didn’t see that.” He said with a smile.  
  
It took Peedee everything he had in him not to facepalm. _What is wrong with this kid!?_ He screamed in his head.  
  
“Yeah, it’s closed. So I can’t make you fries today.” Peedee explained. “Can I get through?” He motioned with his hand for Steven to move.  
  
Steven backed away from the door and watched Peedee unlock it. “Well, if it’s closed, why are you here?” Steven asked. Then he chuckled. “You must really love work, huh?”  
  
Peedee chuckled a bit too. He hated work, and Steven knew that. But it became a bit of a joke at this point.  
  
“Nah, I’m here because I forgot my homework.” he said.  
  
Peedee opened the door and walked in, Steven following close behind. As Peedee entered, he scanned the room. The ceiling had several holes and cracks in them, and scattered on the floor were tools and plaster. His eyes darted from the fryers, to the counters, to the sink, then back to the counters. _There it is!_ He darted towards the counter and picked up the pages of his Delmarvian history homework with excitement and skimmed through them to make sure everything was okay. Then he gasped.  
  
“No, no, no, no, no!” He exclaimed. “What happened?”  
  
The typing on the second page had been distorted by some liquid, the penciled in answers washed away. Peedee turned and sat on the floor, his head buried in his arms.  
  
“Are… You okay, Peedee?” Steven frowned and sat down next to Peedee. “What’s wrong?” he asked.  
  
Peedee handed the homework to Steven without looking up. “See for yourself.” he moped.  
  
Steven took a look at the first page for a bit. “You misspelled ‘treaty’?” He asked confused.  
  
Peedee’s head darted up. “I did?!” He looked over, then winced. “No, Steven, look at the other page! It’s ruined!” he shouted.  
  
Steven examined the second page and understood. “Oh, my bad.”  
  
“It’s not your fault, Steven.” Peedee turned his head forward and frowned. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left it here knowing the ceiling was leaking.”  
  
Steven frowned too, looking at Peedee. He looked defeated, ruined. To Steven, it was apparent that Peedee was on the verge of tears.  
  
Steven hugged Peedee. “It’ll be okay, I’m sure your teacher will understand.” He said.  
  
Peedee blushed in Steven’s arms, caught off guard.  
  
“Th-thanks, Steven. I’m sure they will too. I just don’t want to look… Irresponsible, ya know?” Peedee explained. “I’ve never turned in my homework late, I’ve always been on time. I’ve never lost it, ruined, nor left it unfinished. What’s everyone going to think of me?”  
  
Steven laughed. This made Peedee a little angry, and he pulled out of the embrace.  
  
“What’s so funny?” He asked, annoyed.  
  
Steven just laughed some more.  
  
“Steven? What’s so funny?” He raised his voice.  
Steven put a hand on Peedee’s shoulder and smiled. “Peedee, it’s okay. No one is going to think less of you for accidentally ruining your homework. You’re getting upset over nothing!” he said with confidence.  
  
Peedee took a deep breath. “I don’t think you understand, Steven. I have a reputation. Now it’s tarnished.”  
  
“Exactly!” Steven exclaimed happily.  
  
“Wha-” Peedee was just offended at this point. “What the heck is that supposed to mean?”  
  
Steven began to realize Peedee wasn’t seeing it, so he decided to take a different approach. “Look, you have a reputation of turning in your homework on time.”  
  
“Yes.” Peedee said, arms crossed.  
  
“And you always have it filled out, right?”  
  
Peedee lowered his arms. “Yeah, I said that. I still don’t see what you’re getting at here.”  
  
“So, if you always do your homework, always turn it in on time, then your teachers and classmates know you’re a good student. So if you miss one day, no one will care! They’ll understand the situation and believe you!” Steven assures.  
  
“Maybe, but what about the fact that I wasn’t careful with it?”  
  
Steven sighed. “Look, just tell them it was my fault. Tell them I accidentally knocked a glass of water over while I was at your house.”  
  
Peedee pondered this. “I mean, I guess I could tell them that. But then I’d be lying.”  
  
“So? No one has to know.” Steven responded. “Just don’t tell anyone!” He said with a smile.  
  
Just don’t tell anyone. That last statement evoked a shameful expression from Peedee. Steven was confused as Peedee began to tear up. That’s the funny thing about trauma. It’s symptoms aren’t always immediate, and little things like common phrases can evoke the worst of feelings.  
  
“I’m sorry Peedee, you don’t have to lie. I just don’t want you to be so upset.” Steven said.  
  
“No, no. You’re right. Thank you for trying to help. I just…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it. “What you said, it just- Never mind.” Peedee wiped his eyes.  
  
Steven could tell Peedee was not fine. Not at all. “Peedee, is something wrong? Should I be worried?”  
  
Peedee gathered his homework and stood up, heading towards the door. Steven hurried after him and grabbed his arm.  
  
“Peedee, tell me what’s wrong.” Steven requested.  
  
“I can’t tell you, Steven.” Peedee said, with a tremble in his voice. “I don’t really wanna talk about it anyway.”  
  
Steven let go of Peedee’s arm and stepped back. “Peedee, you can tell me anything. We’ve been friends since we were little.”  
  
This was true. They had been friends for as long as Peedee could remember. And he usually could tell Steven anything. But this time, he couldn’t. What Ronaldo did was too severe. The memories of the vent were still vivid, making Peedee want to sob. And that’s exactly what happened. Peedee felt sick now, like he could vomit any minute. He fell into Steven and sobbed into his shoulder.  
  
“I just can’t tell you Steven, okay?” he choked between sobs.  
  
Steven patted Peedee’s head and held him. “Okay, I won’t push. Just promise me you’ll be okay?” Steven asked.  
  
“I’ll be okay.” Peedee sniffled. “I promise.”  
  
Steven held Peedee for a bit in silence, then let go when Peedee had calmed down. “I have to do some training today, okay? I’ll talk to you later.” Steven said.  
  
“Yeah, we can talk later.” Peedee answered.  
  
Then Peedee remembered school. “Shoot!” he exclaimed.  
  
“What?” Steven asked.  
  
Peedee looked up at the clock by the potato rack. It read 6:48.  
  
“I need to get home, my bus comes at 7:00!” Peedee wiped his eyes and nose into his sleeve. “Great, now I have to change my shirt.” He said with disgust.  
  
He left the building, Steven following close behind. Peedee locked the door and put the keys back into his pocket. He folded his homework and placed it in the opposite pocket. Then Peedee turned to Steven and gave him a quick hug.  
  
“Thanks, Steven. I’ll take your advice about the homework.” Peedee said, before sprinting off.  
  
Steven waved and shouted, “No problem, Peedee! Text me later about it!”  
  
“I will!” Peedee shouted back.  
  
Steven watched Peedee sprint away. He was pretty fast. Steven expected that though, knowing Peedee. He put his hands in his pockets and bobbed back and forth with a goofy grin. Steven loved to help people, and he felt like he did just that. At least he thinks he did. Steven stopped bobbing and thought hard. He just had an idea. _What if I start a sort of club where I help people?_ He thought to himself. _No, where we help each other! A youth group that meets regularly!_ Steven pulled out his phone and started texting Connie all about it as he walked back to his house.  
  
Peedee makes it home, with 5 minutes to spare. He rushes in and tosses the keys to his dad, who catches them without looking up from his newspaper. Peedee darts up the stairs and down the hall to his room and throws the door open. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and threw it off. He grabbed a black t-shirt from his closet and slipped it on. He then put on a blue plaid overshirt and ran downstairs. He went into the kitchen, grabbed a stepping stool, and positioned it in front of the counter. He used it to retrieve a granola bar from an overhead cabinet by the fridge. He didn’t have time to eat a proper breakfast, his bus would arrive any moment. He hopped off the stool and grabbed his dad’s mug, drinking the rest of the coffee from it. Mr. Fryman didn’t mind, he had half a pot left. He just kept reading his newspaper. Peedee ran out the door, shouting goodbye to his father. Mr. Fryman smiled and chuckled. Peedee stood at the end of the driveway. He waited patiently for his bus to arrive. In less than a minute, he saw it turn the corner onto his street. He took a deep breath and prepared himself. He had a long day ahead of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, thanks to AlexOC for giving my work a good proofreading! Thanks to him, I was able to tackle the remaining errors in my first three chapters. He deserves credit for helping me out~ If you've already read the first three chapters, don't worry about this. Again, it doesn't affect the story. Every chapter after these first three will be proofread three times over and edited like a madman. You can think of these first three chapters as pilot. Now that I know my flaws and how to tackle them, the quality of my newer work will increase tremendously!


	2. Ch. 2 The Rumor Come Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow Peedee, Steven, Connie, and others as they explore themselves, puberty, and everything else life has to throw at them in this new series, Beach City Youth. In this chapter; Peedee meets a boy named Jeff, confronts his teacher about his homework, and falls victim to salacious rumors about his character.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can tell what you're probably thinking. "But Para, this just sounds like a parody of Connie Maheswaran Fan Club, but from Peedee's point of view!" To which I feel obligated to respond with, no. Stop. Go sit in the corner. Bad reader. Yes, the main cast is quite similar. But there are significant differences. I'll just let you see for yourselves.
> 
> EDIT (3/6/2018): Let this be a lesson to all you new writers, triple check your work. Upon reading this over out of a combination of quality anxiety and a need to inflate my own ego, I realized one continuity error and some grammar mistakes. Please, for the love of god, people. Tell me these things in a comment so I don't look like a hack. T^T
> 
> EDIT (3/7/2018): Just doing some touch up. Rewording sentences to flow better and cutting down on 'thought' verbs.

Beach City did not have any schools of its own. It was a tourist attraction after all, not a real city. Because of this, the few kids that lived there went to school in Cape Lewes, the next city over. Peedee's bus parked by the side of the school to let the students out. As Peedee and others exited the vehicle, Peedee grew increasingly nervous. Entering the building through the side doors, he held his breath. He weaved in and out of the crowds of students, all the while clenching his shirt. _Just focus on your breathing_ , Peedee told to himself. He made it to his locker and started putting in his combination. As he fiddled with the combination nob, a boy two lockers down dropped his books. Peedee rushed over to help him, seeing as he had a cast and couldn't pick them up on his own.

 

“I’ll get it!” Peedee said, picking each book up with care. “Here you go.” He said with a smile. The boy looked at the books, then his cast. “Oh, shoot. Ya know, I’ll just hold these for you until you get your locker open.” Peedee offered.

 

The boy smiled and said, “Thanks.”

 

The boy put in his combination and opened his locker. Peedee peeked in and noticed a picture of Connie taped to the back. The boy then took the books from Peedee one at a time and placed them in the locker.

 

“You know Connie?” Peedee asked.

 

The boy laughed. “Yeah, she’s how I got this cast.” he explained.

 

Peedee snapped his fingers. “Oh! You must be Jeff! The whole school was talking about what happened.”

 

“Yeah,” Jeff replied. “She didn’t mean to hurt me though. She’s actually really nice.”

 

“Oh, I know. She comes around my workplace from time to time.” Peedee said. “My name’s Peedee, I live in Beach City.”

 

Jeff shook Peedee’s hand and smiled wider. “I take it you two are friends then?” Jeff asked. “Because, any friend of Connie’s has to be cool.”

 

Peedee smiled awkwardly. “Well, I mean, I guess I could call her my friend.”

 

“Did she break your arm too?” Jeff asked excitedly.

 

“No, she just-” Peedee was cut off by a teacher.

 

“You two need to head to class, the bell will ring soon.” The teacher said.

 

“Yes sir!” Peedee said, closing his locker and starting to walk away.

 

Peedee stopped after a few steps. He turned around and confronted the teacher.

 

“Mr. Shall, is it okay if I help Jeff carry his books to class?” Peedee asked.

 

Jeff blushed a little and Mr. Shall smiled. “That’s very considerate of you, Fryman. But I’ll help him out. I wouldn’t want you to be tardy.” Mr. Shall said.

 

As Mr. Shall and Jeff passed Peedee, Jeff looked back with a big warm grin. Peedee waved to Jeff and continued his walk to class. He wouldn’t have minded being tardy if it meant helping another student. But he knew the biggest motivation behind wanting to help was to stall for time. Mrs. Creek, his homeroom teacher, was also his History teacher. Peedee always turned in his History homework during homeroom. To him, it showcased how serious he took learning. A tactic that, if he were honest, he stole from Connie. As Peedee approached the classroom he clenched his shirt again. He had to be brave and own up to his mistake, but he just couldn’t face the humiliation. He waited a few seconds, took a few deep breaths, and opened the door. Peedee scanned the room for a desk to sit at. Of the 23 desks in the classroom, the only available desk happened to be at the far end of the front row, near the windows. Peedee groaned with annoyance. That desk was right across from Mrs. Creek’s desk. He made his way through the packs of socializing students and sat down at the desk. Mrs. Creek didn’t appear to be in the room, so that alleviated a bit of his stress. But she’d be in soon, which left him a bit on edge. Peedee looked around at the students and the classroom. It was a typical American classroom. A big whiteboard, educational posters on the walls, a couple computers in the back, and a projector hanging from the ceiling. While counting the tiles of the ceiling to help calm his nerves, Mrs. Creek entered the classroom. She smiled as the bell rang, and motioned for her students to sit down. As the students took their seats, a voice came on over the intercom.

 

“Goooood morning, Cape Lewes middle school! It’s time to stand for the pledge and…”

 

As the man over the intercom continued to talk, Peedee zoned out. The only thing on his mind was the disappointment the he believed Mrs. Creek would have for him. The rest of the class stood for the pledge, but Peedee dug his face into his hands. Mrs. Creek grew concerned when she spotted this. Peedee got anxious in class quite often, but never this early into the day. This was a red flag for Mrs. Creek. As the rest of the students finished the pledge and sat in their seats, Mrs. Creek remained standing. The man over the intercom continued his spiel about what the students were having for lunch, and reminding them of upcoming sporting events. When the man on the intercom was done addressing the school, the students began chattering again. Mrs. Creek approached Peedee, who was still hiding his face away.

 

“Peedee, is everything okay?” She asked.

 

Peedee whimpered a little, refusing to look up. “I’m sorry ma’am” he muttered.

 

Mrs. Creek put her hand on Peedee’s shoulder. “Let’s talk about this out in the hall.”

 

Peedee arose slowly from his desk and followed Mrs. Creek out the door. Mrs. Creek waited for the door to close completely before talking.

 

“Peedee, I need to know what’s wrong. You seem very upset.” She said.

 

Peedee stood in silence. He had a decision to make. Lie, or tell the truth. Which one was more moral? He came to a decision and took a deep breath.

 

“Mrs. Creek, I’m really sorry.” He struggled to say.

 

“Sorry about what?” She asked.

 

Peedee clasped his hands together with his index fingers out, put his fingers to his lips, and closed his eyes. He then lowered his hands, pulling them apart and made various motions as he expressed what he was trying to say.

 

“I left my homework at my job, which was being renovated, and it got ruined. I wasn’t aware it was ruined until after I found it this morning. The second sheet is smudged and my answers came off because I wrote them in pencil. My friend Steven said I should lie and blame him for it, but I couldn’t bring myself to lie to you.” Peedee explained.

 

Mrs. Creek smiled and crossed her arms. “Oh Peedee, is that really why you’re so upset?”

 

“I have never turned in an assignment late, and I would never dream to!” Peedee exclaimed.

 

Mrs. Creek giggled. _Seriously, you too?_ Peedee asked himself. "Why does everyone keep laughing at me?" He asked, with irritation building up.

 

"Because, Peedee," Mrs. Creek explained, "You're such a good student. You're getting so wound up over your first mistake. One would think something traumatic happened."

 

A jolt went through Peedee. Again, the incident of that morning in the shower wormed its way into his head and he started to tear up. Mrs. Creek was unaware of the rape that took place, so she figured it was her laughter that got him so upset.

 

"Now calm down Peedee. It's going to be okay. I shouldn't have laughed. I'm sorry." Mrs. Creek said.

 

Peedee wiped his tears away with his sleeve and pulled out his homework. "Here, just take it. Give me an 'F'."

 

Mrs. Creek gently took the homework from Peedee and unfolded it. She looked it over and smiled.

 

"You misspelled 'Treaty'. For that, I think you _should_ get an 'F'." She teased.

 

Peedee was not amused.

 

"Look, I tell you what," She said, "I'll take this back into the classroom and place it in the homework bin. No one has to know that you didn't complete it. Okay?"

 

Peedee brightened up instantly. "R-really? You'd do that?" He asked.

 

"Of course. Peedee, you're my best student. I trust that, not only did you actually fill this out, but that you got an A- at the least." She answered.

 

Peedee hugged her tight. Mrs. Creek laughed and ruffled his hair. _You're so much like your mother, Peedee._ Mrs. Creek told herself as she looked down at the boy.

 

Peedee pulled back and stood straight. "I swear, this will never happen again! I promise!" Said Peedee.

 

"And I believe you." Responded Mrs. Creek.

 

As the two of them went back into the classroom, a boy watched from around the hallway corner.

 

"No way," he muttered to himself in jealousy.

 

The boy pulled out his cell phone and started texting his friends about what he saw. Soon, word began spreading that Peedee was getting special treatment from Mrs. Creek. And as the day progressed, Peedee kept getting weird looks from other students in the halls or during class. This was not good for Peedee's anxiety. Having a sense that something wasn't right, but not being able to identify the problem, made his chest hurt. All the whispers and laughter behind his back. The glares from some of the other boys, while others gave him a thumbs up. His stomach churned. Something bad was going to happen, he could sense it.

 

* * *

 

 

Soon, lunch period came around. Peedee got his lunch and found a secluded table to sit at by himself. He didn't usually eat by himself, but today was one of those days where he was best left alone. He didn't get much to eat. His anxiety gave him indigestion. As he poked around at his lunch with a fork, someone sat down next to him. It was Jeff.

 

"Hey Peedee, how's it going?" Jeff asked with a smile.

 

"Not so well. I feel like everyone's talking about me behind my back." Peedee explained.

 

"Oh, that's because they are." Jeff responded.

 

Peedee was shocked. "Th-they are?" He asked, wringing his shirt in his hands.

 

Jeff watched Peedee mess with his shirt, then looked back up at him and said, "Yeah... They're saying some pretty crazy stuff."

 

Peedee yelped and started to shake. "Darn it, I knew they'd find out!" Peedee said.

 

"So it's true?" Jeff asked, eyes widening.

 

Peedee groaned and buried his head in his arms.

 

"Wow, I never thought you were that kind of person, Peedee. Tsk tsk." Jeff shook his head.

 

Peedee turned his head to look up at Jeff, a defeated look on his face. "Maybe Steven was right, I should have lied." he said.

 

"Connie's boyfriend knew too?!" Jeff asked, even more shocked than before. "Holy moley..."

 

"Well, at least you're taking this as seriously as I do, Jeff." Peedee said with a sigh.

 

"Of course I'm taking this seriously, you're sleeping with Mrs. Creek!" he said.

 

"Wait, WHAT?" Peedee asked in surprise, nearly falling out of his seat.

 

* * *

 

"So, an anonymous student had overheard me with Mrs. Creek and started telling everyone that I was sleeping her?" Peedee asked for clarification.

 

"Mhm." Confirmed Jeff.

 

"And now the whole school thinks I did?" Peedee asked.

 

"Pretty much." Jeff answered.

 

Peedee covered his face with his hands. "Jesus Christ..."

 

"Hey, I'm just glad you didn't actually do it." Jeff said. "I wouldn't want you to get expelled."

 

"Thanks, Jeff." Peedee smiled a little. "I just gotta end this rumor somehow before it spreads too fast, and to the wrong people." Peedee pulled out his phone and started texting.

 

"Good idea, I'll help." Said Jeff, pulling out his own phone.

 

The two boys worked tirelessly the rest of the school day to explain to as many people they could that Peedee and Mrs. Creek were **NOT** sleeping together. Some people seemed to believe them, but others didn't. Fortunately though, the rumor had not spread to faculty. Though, it was only a matter of time before it did. But as the school day came to a close, there wasn't much else they could do. Peedee and Jeff met back at Jeff's locker to rendezvous.

 

"So, how many people were you able to convince?" Peedee asked.

 

"Well, the entire chess club agrees you don't have what it takes to get with someone like Mrs. Creek." Jeff explained.

 

"Wow, gee. Thanks." Peedee said sarcastically.

 

"No problem! You?" Jeff asked.

 

"Some of my friends in track, a few kids I talk to in the Library, and a kid from my Pre-Algebra class all believe me. But I can't tell with the rest." Peedee answered.

 

"I know, there's over 500 students in the school, and I only know about 32 personally!" Jeff exclaimed.

 

Peedee groaned and leaned up against the lockers. He closed his eyes and begged for God to strike him dead. But then he heard a familiar voice.

 

"Is it true?" She asked.

 

Peedee opened his eyes and Jeff fanboy squealed. There before them both stood Peedee's rival, Connie Maheswaran. She had a smug look on her face, and was dressed in her Junior Safety Patrol uniform.

 

"Excuse me?" Peedee asked.

 

"You heard me, Fryman. Is it true you're sleeping with Mrs. Creek?" She asked him again.

 

"No, of course not!" Peedee shouted.

 

Connie just stood there with her hands on her hips, her face still as smug as before. "Riiiiiiight" she said. "And Mrs. Creek just let you get away with not doing your homework because she's nice?"

 

"Yes!" Peedee answered. "She's very nice!"

 

"I bet she is, Fryman." Connie replied, raising her left brow. "I bet she _is._ "

 

Jeff just watched them go back and forth, trading insults. _Wow, they must be like, best friends!_ He thought to himself.

 

"What do you even want, Connie? Are you really just here to tease me?" Peedee asked.

 

"No, I wanted to tell you that Steven has something special planned on Saturday. He wants you and Jeff to come by his place tomorrow. 6:00 PM." Connie replied.

 

Jeff exploded with excitement. "You mean, we're all gonna hang out? Together?" Jeff asked.

 

"Yep!" Connie answered. "See you guys later." As she walked of, she gave Peedee another sly look.

 

Peedee rolled his eyes. "Oh, hey. You should get going or you'll miss the bus." Peedee said to Jeff.

 

Jeff smiled. "Yeah! See you tomorrow?"

 

"Tomorrow!" Peedee said, smiling back.

 

"Okay, bye Peedee!" Jeff exclaimed, waving as he ran off towards the bus exit.

 

"Later!" Peedee shouted, waving back.

 

Peedee had track practice, so he wasn't taking the bus home. His father would have to pick him up later. As he headed towards the gymnasium, Peedee couldn't stop his brain from running. _I have to figure out who is spreading this rumor before I get in trouble. Or worse, I get Mrs. Creek fired!_ Peedee pulled on his shirt as his anxiety and fear gnawed at him. Of all the things that could happen to him, it had to be this?


	3. Ch. 3 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, with a Side of Fries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow Peedee, Steven, Connie, and others as they explore themselves, puberty, and everything else life has to throw at them in this new series, Beach City Youth. In this chapter; Peedee and Mr. Fryman visit Mrs. Fryman. Steven reveals the location and supervisor for the new youth group. And Peedee's PTSD starts to manifest in more significant ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because we do not know the status of Peedee's mother, nor her name, I have taken an educated guess as to what it would be. My depiction of Mrs. Fryman is considerably different than most. Also, feel free to leave a comment. I don't care if the feedback is constructive, or if it's just 'kill yourself' spammed by several anonymous users. Any kind of feedback is welcome. The story will undergo a perspective shift for the next 3 chapters. I plan to shift perspectives like this every 3 chapters. Why? Because it helps to fully understand the thoughts of the other main characters in my opinion. Help to understand things from various perspectives. But why 3? Well, odd numbers just feel right, ya know?
> 
> EDIT (3/6/2018): Just fixing a continuity error.
> 
> EDIT (3/6/2018): Cutting down on 'thought' verbs and fixing clunky sentence/paragraph structures.

The car ride back home was silent for Peedee and his father. Covered in sweat from track practice, and mind muddled after today's many events, all Peedee could do is zone in and out. Mr. Fryman was used to his son being silent in the car, but whenever he tried to get Peedee's attention, he noticed his son was too distant. Mr. Fryman decided to take a detour rather than head straight home. When Peedee finally came back from his daze, he noticed the cemetery gate. Old, decrepit, covered in all manner of greenery.

 

"Dad, why are we here?" Peedee asked, a somberness to his voice.

 

"It just feels like one of those days, son." Mr. Fryman responded.

 

Mr. Fryman parked the car near the front of the cemetery and got out. Peedee followed his lead. The Cape Lewes Cemetery was really old, dating back to the founding of Beach City and Cape Lewes. It held much historical significance to Delmarva. They strolled through the rows of headstones for about 10 minutes, until they reached the back of the cemetery. That's when they both sat down by her grave. It was a simple headstone, one that any working class family could afford. Nothing fancy or grand about it. The headstone read; Rachel Fryman 1973-2005. Peedee traced his fingers across her engraved name. Mr. Fryman grabbed Peedee's hand and clasped it between his own and they prayed silently. When they finished praying, he let go and wiped a tear from his eye.

 

"You know, son. I've said it before many times. But you're a lot like her, your mother." Mr. Fryman said.

 

"So you say." Peedee replied.

 

"She was always sad, wound up, anxious. Everything had to be done a certain way or it didn't 'feel right'. I always tried my best with her, but sometimes I feel like it was never enough. And sweet Jesus, sometimes I swear I see her on the Beach at night." Mr. Fryman explained.

 

Peedee sat there and thought for a bit. "You never told me how she died." Peedee stated.

 

"Rachel was, well, she succumbed to a kind of sickness." Mr. Fryman responded.

 

"You mean like, cancer?" Peedee asked.

 

"No no, not that kind of sickness. More of a sickness of the brain. Soon after you were born, I guess the stress really got to her. She kept telling me how painful living was. One day I come home from work and there she is on the couch, she'd taken an entire bottle of her anxiety meds and downed a bottle of wine. All I could do was call the police. And well, that's how it happened." Mr. Fryman began to cry.

 

Peedee hugged his father, also crying a little. "It's okay dad. It's gonna be okay." He reassured his father.

 

Mr Fryman replied, "Can you promise me it will? Because it doesn't feel like it."

 

Peedee pulled back and frowned. "What do you mean by that?" Peedee asked.

 

"You seem so distant today, son. It's so eerily like your mother was after she gave birth to you. Could you just tell me what's wrong so we can work it out?" He answered.

 

Peedee really wanted to tell his father. He desperately wanted to. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. His dad would kill Ronaldo, and that would kill him. As much as Peedee hates what happened that morning between them, he still loved his brother. And then there was the incident at school with the homework and rumors. Perhaps a half truth could settle his father down? Peedee grabbed his father's hand.

 

"Dad, it's okay. Really. I've just been having some trouble at school is all." Said Peedee.

 

"I see..." Spoke Mr. Fryman.

 

The two of them sat there for an hour. They talked about school, but without revealing too much on Peedee's part. They talked about Rachel and what she used to be like. What she used to do. What her hobbies and such were. How Fryman met her. They both began to cheer up a bit. Eventually, the conversation shifted. They talked about various other things like sports and work. They reminisced over past memories. Peedee enjoyed this bonding with his father. It helped to distract him from the world falling down around him. One of them made a joke, and they both laughed. As the laughter died down, Peedee looked at Rachel's headstone again.

 

"You know, me and Steven both lost our mothers. But he never talks about it with me." Peedee said.

 

"Oh? Aren't you two best friends?" Mr. Fryman asked.

 

"Nah. I mean, we're friends. But we haven't been best friends for years." Peedee answered.

 

Mr. Fryman frowned. "That's my fault, I work you too much. I just wanted to do the opposite of what I did with your brother. I wanted you to grow up to be responsible, pragmatic." he said.

 

Peedee smiled at his father. "It's okay dad, I forgive you." Then he remembered Saturday. "Oh! Can I have Saturday off?" He begged.

 

Mr. Fryman smiled back. "Of course son, you're free to do whatever you want. Just don't stay out too late, we have church on Sunday morning."

 

Peedee hugged his father tight with excitement. "Thanks!"

 

They spent a few more minutes remembering Rachel. When the sun started to set, they both got up and made their way back to their car. Moments like these with his father were rare. Peedee appreciated every second. You see, his father wasn't the kind of man to open up much. He was stoic, conservative, and hard working. He believed working to be the best way to relieve stress. But every once and a while, he'd find himself being open about his emotions. This typically only happened around Peedee, or Greg having too much to drink. It was moments like these where Peedee could relate to his father, feel close to him. The car ride home was pleasant. Peedee had his window open letting the fresh night air blow in. His wavy dreads flew in the wind. He looked up at the stars and smiled. Mr. Fryman turned on the radio and set it to his favorite Country station. As the music played, he rhythmically tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Mr. Fryman drove an old rusty truck that always smelled like dust and spearmint. He had it since he was a teen, and refused to get rid of it. But he could never really afford to have it refurbished either. Greg had offered to pay for its refurbishment once after coming into his new fortune, but Mr. Fryman turned him down. Mr. Fryman did not like handouts. He was the kind of man who felt like he had to earn everything. He did appreciate the sentiment though. Peedee thought differently from his father. Had it been his car, he would have gladly taken the money. Although, he would also feel obligated to pay them back someday. When they made it home, they both got out of the car and walked into the house. Ronaldo was lying on the couch in his boxers with a bowl of Old bay seasoned Chaaaaps watching anime. He stuffed his face with the chips as they closed the door behind them and took off their shoes.

 

"Sho, wher wer you guhs at ahl deh?" The fat man-child asked with his mouth full.

 

"We stopped to visit mom." Mr. Fryman said. When he noticed Ronaldo was nearly naked, he got angry. "Go put some pants on, son!" He demanded. At least he wasn't in his 'gaming diapers'.

 

Ronaldo groaned and got up, placing the bowl of chips on the coffee table. "Ugh, fine." He responded. Ronaldo headed into the laundry room to retrieve a pair of shorts. "Why do you have to be so prudish, it's not like I'm naked?" He shouted.

 

Mr. Fryman put his hands in the air and made fists. "Because, son, you're 18! You wanna sit around the house in your underwear all day? Move out! Otherwise, you follow my rules." He shouted back.

 

Peedee grabbed his father's arm to calm him down. "Dad, it's really not worth a shouting match." He said.

 

Mr. Fryman pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "You're right. Why don't you head upstairs and get ready for bed?"

 

Peedee nodded and made his way upstairs. As he climbed the stairs, he could hear the two fighting again. They fought _a lot_. Peedee strolled through the hall towards his room and opened the door. He flicked on his lamp and opened the closet. He needed something comfortable to sleep in, so he pulled out a clean tank top and a pair of shorts. He then took his clothes to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He placed his clothes on the sink and turned the shower on. The sound of the water spurting from the shower head made Peedee wince. He used to love taking showers because they made him feel mature. He considered baths a thing for kids. But now, the idea of showering evoked bad memories. Peedee pushed the shower diverter down and decided to bathe. He watched the tub slowly fill with water. Although he considered it childish, at least it was calming. When the water was the right temperature, he shut the nobs off and slid into the tub. This was much better. No running water, no pitter-patter, no memories. _I'll probably never shower again_ , he told himself. The warm water that enveloped his body helped him relax.

 

_**Vrrrrt. Vrrrrt. Vrrrrrrrrt.** _

 

Peedee's phone started to vibrate from the pocket of his pants, which lay on the floor by the tub. He groaned, then sat up and reached over to grab a towel. He needed to dry his hands before handling his cellphone. He dried his hands and then dug through his pants pocket and retrieved the phone. Steven was calling him. He swiped the green 'answer' button and put the phone to his ear as he slid back into the bath.

 

"Hey Steven, what's up?" Peedee inquired.

 

"Oh, I'm just checking in on you." replied Steven.

 

"Thanks. Yeah, I'm okay. I had a pretty rough day, but now I'm taking a bath. Trying to relax." said Peedee.

 

"Connie told me all about what happened at school. She said she felt really bad for you." said Steven.

 

"Oh, that's nice of her, I guess." Peedee responded. _She has a funny way of showing it then._

 

"You know what you have to do, right?" Steven said, with concern in his voice.

 

"I think so?" Peedee replied.

 

"Ah, okay. Then I don't even have to say it. Cool." Steven said in relief. "Anyway, I also called to let you know where our first Beach City Youth meeting will be held."

 

Peedee laughed. "Wow Steven, you were totally serious about this, huh? I'm impressed." he said.

 

Steven had texted Peedee about the youth group earlier while he was at the cemetery. Steven was incredibly excited and couldn't wait until tomorrow. But Jeff was still out of the loop since Steven didn't have his number, so they still planned to meet tomorrow for the official announcement. And according to Steven's text, a few other people were invited.

 

"Yeah!" Steven exclaimed. "So much happens in our lives, we deserve a place where we can just have fun and work things out with support."

 

"Amen." Agreed Peedee.

 

"So, I got permission to use the warehouse outside of town, where Sourcream does his raves. We get the whole place to ourselves every Saturday, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. But we have to have an adult present." Steven explained.

 

"Well, yeah. I'd imagine we would. Who's gonna supervise us?" Peedee asked.

 

"So far, I've asked three people. Amethyst was pretty interested, but some nights she may need to go on missions. And she isn't exactly responsible."

 

"Right." Peedee said.

 

"Right, so then I asked Nanafua. But she turned me down because she had enough teenage angst to deal with when Jenny and Kiki were growing up." said Steven.

 

"Oof, I don't blame. Who else?" Peedee responded.

 

"Well, then I asked my dad! And he said he'd be more than happy to supervise us!" Steven said with excitement.

 

"Oh..." Peedee said with unease.

 

"What's wrong?" asked Steven.

 

"Well, I just don't know how comfortable I'd be having one of my dads drinking buddies counsel us." answered Peedee.

 

Steven was quiet for a bit, presumably thinking. "Don't worry Peedee, my dad can keep secrets. Besides, he can be super fun!"

 

Peedee took it into consideration, then spoke. "Yeah, okay. I trust you Steven." Peedee said with a smile.

 

"Awesome!" Steven shouted loudly, causing Peedee to pull away from the phone for a second.

 

"Well, I'll talk to you later Peedee! Good night!" Steven said.

 

"Good night Steven! I lo-" Peedee stopped. _Shoot, shoot, shoot, was I really going to say 'I love him'?_ Peedee panicked.

 

"Peedee?" Steven called out from the other side of the phone.

 

"I was... I was just saying I look forward to Saturday! Good night!" Peedee said in a rush, and hastily hung up.

 

Peedee set his phone on the sink by his clothes and sunk down into the bath water, with only his face being exposed to the air. _What the heck is wrong with me?_ He asked himself. He took a few deep breaths, then got up out of the tub. The sound of the water gurgle and gulp after he pulled the plug to drain the water resonated through out the bathroom. Thoroughly, he dried himself off with a towel and got dressed. Peedee reached for his tooth brush and gave it a quick rinse before brushing his teeth. Brushing twice a day made for good hygiene. When he finished, he went back to his room and turned off his lamp. Ronaldo's snoring could be heard from his side of the room, causing Peedee to grumble in irritation. Peedee crawled into his own bed and tried to sleep. He tossed and turned for a bit, the days events repeating in his head like a broken record. But eventually, he fell into slumber.

 

* * *

 

Peedee felt something on his bed, laying it's weight down on his chest. He opened his eyes in panic. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw Ronaldo on top of him. But something was off. Ronaldo wouldn't stop smiling. In fact, his smile was very unnatural. Forced and incredibly wide. His eyes were glazed over and fixed on Peedee's own. The both of them were both naked, which only made his heart race faster. He squirmed but couldn't get out from underneath his older brother. His breathing became labored and went into full panic attack mode. He cried out, trying to get enough air. Ronaldo's mass and weight increased in response to the struggle. Suddenly, Ronaldo spoke. But his words were backwards and rapid. Peedee couldn't understand him. As the room warped around him and Ronaldo's glare became more sinister, Peedee managed to choke out a single word.

 

"W-what" He said, gasping for air.

 

" _ **DON'T TELL DAD,**_ " Ronaldo whispered viciously.

 

Peedee jolted up out of bed, screaming. Tears ran down his face and he was covered in sweat. He smelled something funny and threw off his blanket. When he realized he pissed himself, he cried even harder. Ronaldo sat up from his bed on the other side of the room and yawned.

 

"Daaaaaaaaad! Dad! Peedee had a nightmare!" Ronaldo shouted.

 

Peedee curled up into a ball and looked over to his alarm clock. It read '3:43 AM'. He sat there sobbing and shuddering until Mr. Fryman made his way upstairs. The concern on his face was profound.

 

"Peedee, son, what's wrong?" He asked, making his way over to the bed. "You haven't had a nightmare since you were nine."

 

Ronaldo walked over to Peedee's side of the room, then made a funny face. "Bro, did you pee yourself?" He asked.

 

Peedee coward at the sight of Ronaldo, and burried his head in his arms. Mr. Fryman sat there and petted Peedee's head to calm him down.

 

"Son, get your brother some clean clothes." He said to Ronaldo.

 

Ronaldo responded with, "whatever," and did what he was told.

 

After that, Mr. Fryman sat there staring at Ronaldo sternly, then cleared his throat.

 

Ronaldo groaned in annoyance. "Okay, I'll go back to bed now!" Ronaldo shouted dramatically.

 

Mr. Fryman rolled his eyes. He gave Peedee a pat on the back and said, "You should go get cleaned up. I'll wash the sheets. You can sleep downstairs on the couch tonight."

 

"Totally not fair." Ronaldo grumbled.

 

"Ronaldo! Don't start!" Mr. Fryman shouted.

 

Ronaldo rolled over in his bed and placed a pillow over his head. Peedee and his dad left the room, closing the door behind them. Peedee went to the bathroom to change while Mr. Fryman headed downstairs with the soiled sheets. He put them in the washer in the laundry room and turned it on. He then went into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee.

 

He sighed and muttered "Might as well get up now instead of later."

 

Mr. Fryman watched as the coffee dripped into the pot, and he scratched his face. After a minute or two, he heard the click from the upstairs bathroom door and made his way to the guest room. This room would have been Ronaldo's, had Peedee been comfortable with sleeping alone at night. Mr. Fryman pulled the blanket and pillows off the bed and took them into the living room. Peedee was standing by the couch, ashamed of what had happened. Mr. Fryman placed the bedding on the couch and walked back into the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee. He then came back to Peedee laying curled up on the couch. Mr. Fryman took a drink of his coffee, then set it down on the coffee table. He covered Peedee up and sat down on the opposite end of the couch.

 

"Dad?" Peedee asked.

 

"Hm?" Mr. Fryman responded.

 

"I want Ronaldo to move to the guest room..." Peedee whimpered.

 

Mr. Fryman was surprised, given what had just happened tonight. But he didn't argue. He figured this was a good thing.

 

"Sure son, we'll move his things tomorrow while you're at school." he said reassuringly.

 

They sat there in silence the rest of the night. Neither of them able to go back to sleep. But Peedee felt safe. And that's all that mattered.


	4. Ch. 4 Garnet's Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow Peedee, Steven, Connie, and others as they explore themselves, puberty, and everything else life has to throw at them. In this chapter; Steven begins preparations for Saturday and Garnet gives Steven a cryptic warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of this chapter, I have decided that this first series will get a total of 26. Should it gain enough popularity, I will renew it for a second series. But for now, I must focus on completing this one. And, should this not gain enough popularity come the Mid-Series Finale (chapter 13), I will probably cancel it.

Steven had awoken earlier than usual. His decision to be up this early was so he could collect some materials and plan activities for Saturday. The excitement that rushed through him was so strong that he'd nearly forgot to wear pants. Running down the steps of the porch, Steven held onto the railing for safety. When he made it to the bottom he set course for town. Steven needed to eat something though, so, his first stop was going to be the Big Donut. But Sadie had quit working there, and new staff had not been hired yet. Steven instead changed course for the frystand, but the frystand was closed for renovations. He stopped in the middle of town and put his hand on his chin. Not many establishments were open this early, but finding breakfast was his first objective. Mimicking the sound of a muffled garbage disposal, Steven's stomach called out to be fed. Steven had pulled his phone out of his pocket. '6:30' it read. Scanning his surroundings, Steven spotted a familiar blue house four houses down.  
  
Steven knocked on Peedee's door, and about 15 seconds passed before someone had answered it.  
  
"Good morning, Steven. You're up early!" said Mr. Fryman.  
  
Steven peeked into the house, looking to see what everyone was doing. "Can I come in?" he asked.  
  
Mr. Fryman stepped out of the way, and watched on in curiosity. "You do know today is a school day, right?" Mr. Fryman said.  
  
"Yeah," answered Steven. "It's just, everything is closed and I didn't feel like running all the way home to eat breakfast."  
  
"So you came to our house." Mr. Fryman sighed, slightly annoyed. "Peedee, the Universe boy is here!" he shouted, closing the front door.  
  
Steven took his flip-flops off and sat down on the couch with a big smile. Mr. Fryman let out another sigh as he walked into the kitchen.  
  
"Make yourself at home I guess." He muttered.  
  
A shirtless Peedee descended the stairs. "Dad, I can't find any clean shirts." He said.  
  
"Hi Peedee!" Steven exclaimed.  
  
A shriek escaped Peedee's mouth as he covered his chest with his arms. "Steven, what are you doing in here?"  
  
Before Steven could answer, Mr. Fryman chimed in with "He let himself in!"  
  
Steven just smiled at Peedee, who rolled his eyes and made his way to the laundry room. Kicking his stubby his legs back and forth on the couch and patting his knees with his hands, Steven waited for Peedee to finish getting dressed. When Peedee returned, he sat down next to Steven.  
  
"You can't just barge into my house like this, Steven. You know my dad doesn't like it." Peedee whispered.  
  
"But we're friends, aren't we? I wouldn't mind if you showed up at my house this early." Steven responded.  
  
Peedee face palmed. "Of course you wouldn't."  
  
"So, what are you having for breakfast?" Steven asked.  
  
"I don't know." Peedee answered. "Hey dad, what are we-"  
  
Mr. Fryman cut him off. "I'm not feeding him, this isn't a meal center."  
  
Another loud grumble came from Steven's tummy and he frowned in comical anguish. Peedee chuckled at this.  
  
"You're a funny kid, you know that Steven?" Peedee said, patting Steven's back.  
  
Mr. Fryman watched Steven and Peedee's interactions from the kitchen as he made waffles. Yesterday's talk in the cemetery of Steven and Peedee's separation, and the role he played in that, came racing into his head. He huffed and put some waffles on some plates. He then walked into the living room and set the plates down in front of Steven and Peedee. Stars formed in Steven's eyes.  
  
"Thank you Mr. Fryman!" He exclaimed.  
  
Mr. Fryman, still not amused, responded with, "Don't expect me to feed you every morning."  
  
Fork and knife screeched across the surface of the ceramic plate as Steven stuffed his face. Mr. Fryman smiled and winked at Peedee, who snickered in response.

 

* * *

 

  
Leaving the house, the two boys waved goodbye to Mr. Fryman. Steven was going to meet up with Greg at the car wash, while Peedee was going to wait for his bus.  
  
"Have a good day at school Peedee, tell Mrs. Lezner and Principle Sandoval I said hi!" Steven shouted, running down the street.  
  
"I will! Later Steven!" Peedee shouted back.  
  
The sound of feet on asphalt rang out as Steven ran to the car wash his father worked at. Him and Greg had to round up supplies for recreational activities. Video games, board games, a TV, reading material. Then they needed practical things like tables, chairs, a cooler for refreshments and snacks. An ecstatic look and feeling took Steven over. He rounded the corner, but as he approached the car wash, he noticed Garnet was waiting for him.  
  
"Garnet, what are you doing here?" Steven asked.  
  
With that same stoic and expressionless face that was typical of Garnet, she knelt down to eye level and placed a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Steven, I saw something bad with my future vision." She said. "Do not take on something you cannot handle."  
  
And with that, Garnet arose to take her leave. Confusion set in as Steven tried to understand her cryptic warning. Suddenly, Greg peaked out of the back of his van. Steven turned his head towards Greg, who was dusting trash off himself.  
  
"Hey, Shtuball! You ready for today?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, I am. Are you?" Steven countered.  
  
Greg laughed and crawled out of the van. "Yeah, I guess I should shower. Why don't you hose me off really quick?"  
  
"Okay!" Steven replied.  
  
Greg and Steven walked over to the side of the wash, where they kept a hose for manually rinsing off cars. Greg made several silly poses which got Steven to laugh.  
  
"I'm ready when you are, kiddo!" Greg said with confidence.  
  
Cold water came spurting out at full blast when Steven turned the spigot. Although the pressure made Greg fall on his bum, he just laughed it off. Odd looks were given to the father and son by a couple passerbys but Greg and Steven didn't care about how strangers perceived them. Steven lowered the pressure a little as Greg looked up at the sky, then he looked back at Steven.  
  
"You know, Steven, it's very admirable what you're trying to do. I'd hate for one of your friends to hurt themselves or take up drug use because they didn't have a healthy and safe environment to spend their Saturday nights. Not that those kinds of things really happen here, but still." said Greg.  
  
"I was mostly worried about Peedee. He doesn't seem to get out much. Maybe this could be therapeutic for him and other kids I invited." Steven said.  
  
Greg smiled. "I raised a good kid." He said, moving in to ruffle Steven's hair.  
  
A smile formed on Steven's face as he turned off the hose and coiled it back up, placing it on the rack. After making it back to his van, Greg pulled out a towel which he used to dry off his soaking face and body.   
  
"Okay, Steven. Let's get started." He said as they both climbed into the van.

 

 _'Don't take on something you can't handle...'_ echoed in Steven's head.

 

* * *

 

 

Garnet's warning latched onto Steven's mind in much the same manner that a tapeworm latches itself to the walls of an impoverished child's stomach lining, constantly gnawing and sapping the fun out of his day. What excitement he had going into the day had gradually eroded into deep concern. By the time he and Greg had finished acquiring everything on Steven's list, Steven was no longer bouncing with glee. Nervousness, a feeling he wasn't too acquainted with, had become his state of being. The sand of the beach shifted and crackled beneath the tires of Greg's van as it pulled up to the temple. Not a peep came from Steven as the two headed into the house.

 

The door opened to reveal Pearl and Amethyst on the couch in mid conversation.

 

"Nah, P., that totally smells like dirt." Amethyst commented in regards to the tea that Pearl was sniffing.

 

Pearl scoffed. "That's because you lack the appreciation for the fine art of tea tasting, Amethyst. The aroma that this particular blend emits is made up of a wide variety of spices found-"

 

"Yeah, yeah, I don't care." Amethyst interrupted, leaving Pearl with a look of utter offense.

 

Greg plopped down on the couch next to Amethyst and said, "Oh, you guys are drinking tea? Can I have some?"

 

A sweat bead appeared on Greg's forehead when the two Gems gave him a blank look.

 

"Who said anything about drinking the tea?" Pearl responded.

 

"Right..." Greg said awkwardly.

 

"Have either of you seen Garnet? She said something to me this morning, but I don't know what she meant by it. It's been bothering me." Steven posited to the Gems.

 

Pearl answered with, "I thought she was with you guys the whole day?"

 

"No," said Steven, "She gave me a message this morning and then walked off."

 

"Maybe she also thinks Pearl's tea smells like dirt, so she's avoiding the place." Amethyst teased.

 

"You're very funny." Pearl said sarcastically.

 

With a purple flash, Amethyst's figure transformed into that of a goldfish, and she plopped right into Pearl's teacup. "GLUB GLUB. Ahm a dirty fish!" she exclaimed.

 

"AMETHYST!" Pearl squawked as tea splashed every where. She picked Amethyst up by the tail and dropped her on the couch. "I'm taking my tea to my room where you can't bother me." Pearl declared, turning her nose up as she walked towards the portal, tea cup in hand.

 

Laughter erupted from Amethyst as her form returned to normal. Greg wasn't sure if he should get involved, so he just ignored it. _**THWACK**_. The front door flew open with enthusiastic force. Crossing through the frame into the house was one excited Connie and an apathetic Lion. Steven's nervousness dissipated at the sight of Connie, who wrapped her arms around Steven and they twirled.

 

"Connie!" Steven exclaimed.

 

"Steven! I had an amazing day today!" Connie said.

 

"That's great!" said Steven.

 

Steven turned his head as Peedee and Jeff entered the door frame. With his hand in his pocket, and a sour look on his face, Peedee strolled over to the couch and sat next to Amethyst the side opposite of Greg where Pearl had been seated earlier. Jeff stood in the doorway with diamonds in his eyes, taking in the sight of Steven's home. Amazed at his surroundings, Jeff walked over to the couch and sat himself incredibly close to Peedee. The fingers of Jeff's left hand wrapped themselves around Peedee's left wrist as he squealed.

 

"I can't believe I'm actually in Steven's house!" Jeff stated.

 

A sly smirk worked its way across Amethyst's face and she looked at Jeff. "Hi, I'm Amethyst. I'm the fun one." She said.

 

"I'm Jeff!" he said, reaching over Peedee to shake Amethyst's hand.

 

Jeff's outstretched arm hung in the air waiting to be shaken, but Amethyst was oblivious to this gesture. Instead, she simply stated, "Cool hand, dude."

 

Out of confusion, Jeff pulled his arm back and furrowed his brows.

 

"Let's see," Steven said, counting everyone. "I think we're just missing..."

 

With a slow creak, and a sudden 'whoosh', a small round pale boy fell from on of Steven's cabinets, holding a box of cereal.

 

"Onion!" Steven exclaimed. "Yep, that's everyone!"

 

Onion waddled over to the couch and climbed up next to Jeff.

 

"Okay. So, this was originally going to be a surprise. But I'm pretty sure you all know by now." Steven prefaced. Jeff raised his hand, prompting Steven to call on him. "Go ahead, Jeff." He said.

 

"Yeah, I still don't know what's going on." Jeff said with a smile.

 

Nervous laughter vacated Steven's throat. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I ended up telling everyone but you instead of keeping my big mouth shut. I talk when I'm excited." he explained. "We've been given permission to start a youth group here in Beach City! The first meeting is this Saturday!"

 

"Did we really all have to meet like this then, since you blabbed about it to everyone?" Peedee teased.

 

"Yes, we did. Because there are some rules we have to go over if we want this be permanent." Steven stated. "One, we must have an adult present at all times. My dad will be our supervisor/counselor. Second, no drugs or alcohol. I don't think I have to say this, but I will anyway." Steven shoots a glance at Onion, who looks around the room and shrugs, pretending not to know what Steven is insinuating. "Third," Steven continued, "We have to be done by 8:00 PM every night. Some nights, Sourcream uses the warehouse for his raves, so we can't stay too long. And finally, if for any reason the cops need to be called, the whole thing will be shut down." Steven finished. "Any questions?" he asked.


	5. Ch. 5 Pearl's Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow Peedee, Steven, Connie, and others as they explore themselves, puberty, and everything else life has to throw at them. In this chapter; Steven thinks he has a solution to the rumors going around the school, but it only makes things more complicated for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At five chapters in, you're probably all wondering why the Youth Group hasn't even started yet. Well, I wanted to set the world up before thrusting them into it. It needed to make sense. But for those of you that found the pacing slow, you will be excited to know that the next chapter contains the first youth group meeting.

The night was full of chatter and laughter as the group relaxed in Steven's living room. Giddiness over took Jeff as Connie bragged about a recent mission she had with Steven. Peedee was not amused, but the sight of Jeff bouncing in his seat gave him a warm smile. A snort and chuckle came from Amethyst after Greg had told her a joke. Onion just sat there and ate Steven's cereal. But eventually everyone grew tired, and seeing as it was a school night, they all had to go home. With a drawn out yawn, Greg got up and stretched his arms.   
  
"Well, I should probably take you guys home now." Greg said to Jeff and Onion.   
  
"Awww, but I'm having so much fun! And Connie didn't finish telling us how she captured the monster she fought the other day!" said Jeff.  
  
Connie got up and put her hands behind her back saying "I can take him home on Lion, Mr. Universe."  
  
"I take it I'm walking home by myself then?" Peedee asked.  
  
Standing up and holding Peedee's hand, Steven said "I'm walking you home."  
  
A faint red painted Peedee's face when Steven said that. Meanwhile, jealousy overtook Connie. Her eyes squinted in suspicion, which made Peedee nervous. She grabbed Jeff's only free hand and dragged him over to Lion. Smiling the entire time, Jeff waved his cast arm the best he could to signal a good bye to everyone. The urge for Steven to roll his eyes had to be suppressed as he watched his girlfriend get jealous for such a petty reason. With a roar, Lion produced a portal which presumably went to Jeff's house. It wasn't long before Connie and Jeff had mounted Lion and left through the portal.  
  
"Okay, little one. Let's get you home then." Greg said to Onion.  
  
The cereal box Onion was eating from fell to floor causing cereal to spill every where, an action performed voluntarily by the mischievous child. He was silent as he followed Greg out the door. Amethyst decided to get up and head to the Temple portal door so she could retire to her room. When everyone had finally gone, Steven spoke.  
  
"Okay, everyone's gone." Steven said, squeezing Peedee's hand gently.  
  
Peedee blushed again, but harder this time, and said "Steven, you don't have to hold my hand..."  
  
Steven smiled. "I've been thinking a lot about what's happened at the school." Steven said. "I think I know how to end those rumors."  
  
The expression on Peedee's face shifted from uncomfortable, to excited. "Really?" he asked with glee.  
  
Letting go of Peedee's hand, Steven next slid his arm around Peedee's shoulder. His free hand worked its way into Peedee's pocket, retrieving Peedee's phone. Steven's nubby little thumb glided across the screen, activating the phone camera.   
  
"Hey," Steven said.  
  
Peedee looked right at Steven, an eyebrow raised. "Yeah?" he asked.  
  
Soft, warm, and oddly salty, that was the taste of Peedee's lips when Steven's own made sudden contact. With a thud from Steven's thumb and click from Peedee's phone, a quick light flashed from the phone's camera. A small strand of saliva connected from both boy's mouths when Steven slowly pulled out of the kiss. His eyes were half closed, and he licked his lips to break the strand of spit. Frozen, his mouth slightly a gape, Peedee's eyes darted frantically as he tried to make sense of the action that had just occurred. Giggling, Steven gently slid the phone back into Peedee's pocket.  
  
"Your mouth tastes salty, Peedee. Living up to the Fryman name, huh?" Steven joked.  
  
"I-I-I- Uh... I mean, you- I guess so, but..." The surprise from Steven's kiss left Peedee unable to form a proper response, or even register what had been said.  
  
"Now you can just show everyone at school that you like boys! They'll believe you and forget all about Mrs. Creek." Steven said.  
  
Stumbling backward, Peedee scowled at Steven, which confused him greatly. Why wasn't Peedee thrilled? Shouldn't he be grateful to Steven for being given the perfect solution to the problem he was facing? Fear started to bubble within Steven.   
  
"That's why you kissed me?" Peedee asked, voice cracking in outrage.  
  
"I don't get it, Peedee. Aren't you gay?" Steven countered.  
  
Peedee threw his arms in the air and made fists, much like his father did when he was angry. "That isn't the issue here!" he shouted. "I'm not going to out myself to the entire school just to dispel some stupid rumor!"   
  
Steven could feel himself tense up in irritation. "You told me on the phone last night that you knew what you needed to do." Steven said. "I thought that meant-"  
  
"Meant what?" Peedee interrupted. "That I would trade rumors about being in bed with a teacher for factually being in bed with Connie's boyfriend? Connie, the most popular girl in school? Did you even stop to think about what that would do to her? Forget me being hated by the entire school, you would be betraying Connie's trust. You would really break her heart just to help me dig a bigger hole for myself? Jesus Christ Steven..." His voice dripped with vitriol.   
  
Steven's palm made a loud smack as it hit his own forehead. He clearly hadn't thought this entirely through, yet he carried it out regardless. Tears flooded his eyes, streaming down his face. When Peedee saw this, he took a deep breath and crossed his arms. His anger seemed to fade a little when he remembered that Steven only wanted to help.  
  
"You really should have thought this through, Steven. I mean, I've never even told you I was gay. You just assumed that I was, and thought a picture of me kissing someone else's boyfriend would fix the problem. It just makes me look worse." Peedee explained. He combed through his hair with his right hand and said, "I mean, I thought when you kissed me, it was because you liked me. I've been crushing hard on you for years... This hurts, Steven. It _stings_."  
  
Steven sat on the couch slowly, and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I just... I wanted to help. I didn't mean to hurt you, or potentially Connie."  
  
Peedee sat down next to Steven on the couch, leaning forward with his hands clasped together, looking at the floor. Steven grabbed Peedee's hands and squeezed them.   
  
"Peedee, I'm very sorry. Please forgive me." Steven begged.  
  
"I forgive you, Steven. I'm just disappointed. For a moment, I thought you might have shared the same feelings I had for you. If that were the case, I wouldn't be as angry with you." Peedee replied.   
  
"Well," said Steven with a sniffle, "What if I meant it?"  
  
Peedee looked at Steven. "Steven, please don't."   
  
"I don't know, I think I did mean it." Steven reassured. "I felt something when I kissed you. It was a rush. Like when I first kissed Connie."   
  
"Darn it, Steven. You can't just-" Peedee attempted to say, before Steven kissed him again.  
  
Perplexed, Peedee shoved Steven onto his back. They shared a gaze of unspoken tension between them, one that conveyed a wide range emotions. Anger, confusion, lust. Tears welled up in Steven's eyes again, and as he attempted to speak, Peedee hushed him.   
  
"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" Peedee said, before climbing on top of Steven and initiating the next kiss.   
  
Tongues wrestled furiously within each other's mouths, the taste of each other's spit was ripe with shame. Quickly, Steven's hands worked their way beneath Peedee's shirt from the back, with the intention of removing his clothes. Peedee immediately pulled back, and removed Steven's hands.  
  
"No, not now. Not here." Peedee said, climbing off of Steven and sitting back into the couch.   
  
Steven sat up and clenched his pant leg in his hands. "If not now, when?" He asked.  
  
Peedee thought long and hard about this. He never imagined he'd actually get this far with Steven, and hoped that if he did it would be under better circumstances. Peedee's tongue instinctually wiggled through his tooth gap, something that he always did when deep in thought. But something was off. He opened his mouth, feeling around with his tongue. He couldn't find the gap as his finger traced his gums, frantically searching for it.  
  
"What's wrong?" Steven asked, leaning in to look at Peedee's mouth.  
  
"Ay ooth ap. Ith on..." said Peedee, his finger still in his mouth.  
  
"Your what?" asked Steven.  
  
Peedee pulled his hand out of his mouth and rubbed it on his shirt. "My tooth grew back! Like, out of no where!" He exclaimed. "That was an adult tooth, I thought I'd be stuck with that hideous gap forever!"  
  
A brief moment of confusion, then sudden realization, Steven spoke up with, "Oh yeah, healing spit!"   
  
Peedee laughed. "Healing what now?"  
  
"I have healing spit! It's why Connie doesn't wear glasses anymore." Steven explained.  
  
"Really?" Peedee asked. "Hey, wait a second, she told me it was because she started wearing contact lenses."   
  
"My mother could heal people too, but with her tears." said Steven, dodging the statement.  
  
"Steven, that is freakish." Peedee said.  
  
Frowning, Steven lowered his head. "Yeah, I guess it-"  
  
"Freakishly cool!" Peedee exclaimed.   
  
Steven smiled. He opened his mouth to speak, but then Peedee's phone started to ring.   
  
"Shoot, that's probably my dad." Peedee said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and answering it. "Yeah dad? Mhm. I know it's late, I'm still at Steven's. Yeah, I know it's a school day. You don't have to do that, Steven's aunt's can just- Uh-huh. Oh, okay... Really? You're sure? Wow, thanks dad. I will. Love you too." Peedee hung up and put his phone back in his pocket.   
  
"Everything cool?" Steven asked.  
  
"Yep, my dad was just worried." Peedee answered.  
  
"Well, I can have Pearl take you home." Steven said.  
  
"Actually, my dad says he doesn't want me outside this late, and he's dealing with one of Ronaldo's shenanigans at the moment. He said I should just stay the night." said Peedee.  
  
"Well, as long as you aren't late for school in the morning." Steven said.  
  
"Pfffttt, if I get up by six, I can make it home, shower, and be ready for the bus with half an hour to spare."  
  
"Okay." Steven replied. "Well, we don't have any spare blankets. Do you want mine?"  
  
"Nah, you keep it. I'll be fine." Peedee said, laying back onto the couch. The old, lumpy, uncomfortable couch. Peedee smiled awkwardly as he squirmed in discomfort.  
  
"Just take my bed." Steven said.  
  
"Yeah, okay." said Peedee as he rolled off the couch and raised to his feet. "Wait, your bed is a decent size. We could just share it."  
  
"Only if you're comfortable with that." said Steven.  
  
Peedee nodded in confirmation. The two boys turned the lights off and made their way up the stairs to Steven's loft, Steven leading the way. When they both made it up there, Peedee removed his t-shirt. He always wore a tanktop beneath his shirts, and he wore them to bed sometimes too, so he left it on. Peedee then sat down on the bed and started taking his shoes and socks off. Steven grabbed a pair of pajama pants up off the floor and laid it out on the bed. He then pulled a pajama shirt out of a laundry basket that had been left up there by Pearl.   
  
Peedee covered his eyes with his hand and said, "I won't look, go ahead and change."  
  
Steven removed his shirt first, his belly gem bouncing slightly. Next he removed his pants and underwear. Peedee moved his fingers apart out of curiosity to peek at Steven. His penis, which was considerably bigger than Peedee's, dangled freely as Steven put his arm through the pajama pants. One of the legs were inside out, so he had to fix it. Blushing hard, Peedee's own penis had become erect. When Steven finished getting dressed, he climbed onto the bed and covered himself up. Peedee removed his hand from his eyes and turned Steven's lamp off, then laid back to cover himself up too. The two boys both laid there staring at the ceiling awkwardly, the dark silence only occasionally interrupted by the settling house.   
  
"Connie can't ever know about what happened tonight." Steven said, breaking the silence.  
  
"Yeah, duh." Peedee responded. "But this can't happen ever again either. Not unless you plan on leaving her."  
  
"I don't think I could..." said Steven, clenching the blanket.  
  
"I didn't think you could either." Peedee said, heart broken.  
  
The two of them rolled over and faced each other, their faces close enough to feel each other's breath. Their foreheads touched, and they closed their eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

Considerable time had passed, but Steven wanted to make sure Peedee was asleep before getting out of bed. Quietly, almost as if floating, Steven tip-toed down the loft stairs and out the front door.  
  
Leaning on the railing of the porch, Steven sighed and looked up at the night sky. The door opened from behind him, and he quickly turned around in a panic, only to calm down when he realized it was just Pearl.  
  
"Steven, I came out to watch you sleep, but the smaller Frybo kid was sleeping in your bed in your place, so I came to see if you were out here. What are you doing outside so late in your night clothes?" Pearl asked.  
  
Steven turned back around and huffed. "I'm having trouble dealing with my feelings." He answered.  
  
"You know that you can tell me anything, right?" Pearl assured Steven.  
  
Steven smiled at her. "You're probably the only person who could give me good advice in this situation anyway."  
  
Pearl chuckled and patted Steven on the head. "I'm all ears. Well, if I had ears, anyway."  
  
Steven took a deep breath. "I think I'm in love with someone else besides Connie." He said.  
  
Pearl was quiet for a moment as they both looked out onto the beach. But eventually, she spoke up. "Are you certain that you're in love with this other individual?" She asked.  
  
Steven nodded his head in confirmation.  
  
"Well, if this is true, and you still have feelings for Connie as well, then you must tell them both. And more importantly, Steven, you must make a choice between the two. One that you can live with. I would hate for Connie to have to go through the same situation I had, so, I think you can guess who I'm routing for in this mess. But ultimately, I just want you to be happy." Pearl explained.  
  
"Thanks Pearl. I'll need some time to think on it, but I appreciate your advice." Steven said with a shiver.  
  
"Come on, let's get back inside before you catch the common cold." Said Pearl as she opened the front door.   
  
They both entered the house quietly, and went their separate ways. Steven sneaked back up into the loft and got back into the bed, putting his arm around Peedee who had rolled over in his sleep. Pearl went to the warp pad and used it to travel somewhere. Steven laid there with his arm around Peedee, his nose buried in the other boy's golden dreads. _I don't think I can choose..._ Steven told himself as he tried his best to fall asleep.


	6. Ch. 6 The First Meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow Peedee, Steven, Connie, and others as they explore themselves, puberty, and everything else life has to throw at them. In this chapter; The first youth group takes place and Greg has a talk with Peedee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I'm back. And with a new chapter. That's right, I bet you thought I was dead or something. Nah, just depressed. I kinda went through a bad rut due to a hodgepodge of reasons. But I finally got around to finishing this chapter and I'm ready to write more! Now that Steven Universe is out of hiatus, I'm expecting interest in SU fics to pick up. Also! I know there's probably some confusion as to where this all takes place within the canon timeline. Well, it takes place somewhere between Know Your Fusion and Lion 4. And eventually, this story may diverge from the canon. In fact, it very well soon could. It all depends on where I take the story.
> 
> UPDATE: This isn't an update for the actually story, more of a clarification on the direction I've taken Connie. It seems I'm getting some negative attention for that. Mostly because, I assume, they think it comes from a place of vitriol. But I love Connie. I think she's a strong and attractive character. You see, there's gonna be a lot of school drama in this fic. And if you've ever read the comics, you'll know that Connie became super popular at school. Now imagine that for a second. Connie, a shy and isolated character suddenly becomes the center of attention. Do you honestly think Connie is above falling into some form of peer pressure? Of course you don't. We all are. I think it's very well within Connie's personality to adopt rude behavior because of peer pressure in an attempt to keep her popularity status. But that doesn't mean she has to stay that way. And she won't. So please don't unsub from the series just yet. Give it some time. Connie will eventually work things out. And there's a very touching scene between her and Peedee planned for later in the series. Just stick around. If I've disappointed you so far, at least give me the opportunity to make up for it. You won't regret it.

The lights of the old warehouse buzzed like a fly tangled in cotton, just faint enough to forget about during conversation. The only problem was that conversation was at a minimum. Steven’s eyes scanned the room, searching desperately for a specific person. His stomach tightened with worry that Peedee had not yet arrived. Everyone else had made it though, and then some. There was a circle of folding chairs set in the middle of the room, each one with a kid occupying its seat. Steven, Connie, Jeff, and Onion were all seated, waiting for Greg to take his. Also seated, to everyone but Connie’s surprise, were the Junior Safety Patrol girls. Steven frowned, for Peedee still hadn’t arrived, and it was five minutes until six o’clock.  
  
The legs of Steven’s chair screeched way louder than he’d thought they would as his body slowly lifted from his seat.  
  
“I’m just gonna step outside, for a few minutes,” Steven said.  
  
Eyes locked on him as he awkwardly sauntered out the warehouse doors. A sharp exhale exited Steven’s lungs when the double doors closed behind him.  
  
“Hey, Steven.” A voice spoke.  
  
Steven’s body jolted, his heart thumping faster than a rabbit’s binky. He spun quickly, then sighed in relief when his brain registered it was Peedee. Fingers tightened and untightened around the hem of Peedee’s shirt as he leaned against the decrepit warehouse’s exterior, looking off to the left in worry.  
  
“Peedee! How long have you been out here?” Steven asked, his hand gently grasping the blonde boy’s shoulder.  
  
Peedee looked at Steven and asked, “I don’t know, what time is it?”  
  
Steven checked his phone and answered with, “Six o’ three.”  
  
“Frick!” Peedee hissed.  
  
“Peedee, what’s wrong?” Steven asked.  
  
Peedee’s limbs trembled uncontrollably, but subtly, and his face gave an expression of impending doom.  
  
“I think I should go home.” Peedee responded, attempting to walk past Steven.  
  
“Wait,” Steven said, holding onto Peedee’s hand, “You’re having an anxiety attack. Tell me what you’re scared of.”  
  
“Connie’s going to kill me if she finds out-” Peedee attempted to explain.  
  
“But she’s not going to find out, I promised you that.” Steven interjected. “Come on, Peedee. Take deep breaths.”  
  
Peedee closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. His lips moved softly, mouthing odd numbers starting from one. His limbs became still at twenty-three, and his voice calm by thirty-one. Peedee stopped at thirty-nine and opened his eyes to look at Steven.  
  
“It’s going to be okay, we’re going to have fun.” Steven said with a smile.  
  
Peedee smiled back, letting go of Steven’s hand and following him into the warehouse. The others were laughing as the two boys entered and made their ways to their seats in the circle of chairs. Greg had been telling jokes while they waited to start. Greg took his seat and smiled, holding a red ball the size of a plum in his hand.  
  
“Alright, kids. Welcome to the first Beach City Youth meeting.” Greg announced. “Now, I had to do some research on youth groups beforehand, since this is the first time I’ve ever led one. But from what I understand, it’s pretty simple.”  
  
One of the Junior Safety Patrol girls raised her hand, but spoke before being called on. “Are we going to pray now, or at the end?” She asked.  
  
Greg laughed timidly. “Oh, we aren’t going to pray at all. I don’t want to get angry phone calls from some of your parents over pressuring any specific religion on you kids. So, to avoid that, I’m just going to offer some life advice at the end. But to start things off, I have a little game. It’s supposed to help us all get to know each other if we do it right.” Greg explained. “Basically, I’m going introduce myself, say something I’m good at, what I do in my spare time, what I do for a living, then pass the ball to someone else. You guys will replace that last one with what you want to be when you’re older. Oh, and you can’t pass the ball to anyone who’s already had it. Everyone cool with that?”  
  
The kids muttered with little enthusiasm in response, which made Greg a little uneasy.  
  
“Okay…” Greg said. “Well, I’m Mr. Universe, Steven’s father. I’m pretty decent with a guitar, I like to write songs in my spare time, and I work at a car wash.” Greg tossed the ball to Connie. “Your turn, Connie.”  
  
“Okay!” Connie said with a smile. She cleared her throat. “My name is Connie, and I’m an excellent sword fighter!” Connie exclaimed. Jeff watched Connie in admiration. “I go on missions with my boyfriend Steven and save the day. And one day, I wanna run for president!” Connie said. She threw the ball to Steven.  
  
Steven caught the ball with a grin. “Hi,” He said. “I’m Steven Universe! I’m good at playing the ukulele, and I save the world daily with my friend Connie and the Crystal Gems. I don’t really know what I want to be yet when I’m older, I’ll probably be too busy saving the world to really consider anything.” Steven tossed the ball to Peedee.  
  
Everyone but Greg and Steven laughed when Peedee tried to catch the ball and nearly fell out of his seat. He caught it nonetheless, and introduced himself. “I’m Peedee…”  
  
Greg smiled. “Yes, Peedee. And?”  
  
“And I’m not really sure I’m good at anything.” Peedee commented, looking down at his feet.  
  
The atmosphere got really uncomfortable, and Greg scratched his head.  
  
“You’re a pretty good frycook, don’t you think?” said Greg.  
  
Peedee furrowed his brows, annoyed at what he perceived to be condescension from Greg. “Sure, yeah. I’m good at making food I guess.” He said bitterly. “And I guess I want to take over the family business when I’m older.”  
  
“And… What do you do in your spare time, Peedee?” Greg asked, hesitantly.  
  
“I don’t really have spare time most days.” Peedee said as he passed the ball to one of the Junior Safety Patrol girls.  
  
Everyone stared at Peedee for a few seconds, the room silent, with only the buzzing lights to fill the void. Steven frowned and clenched the sides of his chair as he watched Peedee get nervous again.  
  
  
After everyone had finished tossing the ball around, they all got up out of their seats. Greg instructed them to socialize while he made a phone call. Connie was entertaining one of the Junior Safety Patrol girls and Jeff with one of her many ‘Gem mission’ stories. Onion could be seen playing with some of his Guys figurines, not really concerned with socializing. Steven just watched Peedee from a far, who was by himself in a corner brooding. The other two Safety Patrol girls approached Steven, smiling curiously.  
  
“Hey, Steven, you’re friends with Peedee, right?” The big one asked.  
  
“We have some questions about him, if it’s okay.” said the one with glasses.  
  
“Okay, what’s up?” Steven asked.  
  
The one with glasses raised a hand to block her mouth, while the big one looked on in curiosity, and asked, “Is it true that Peedee is having sex with Mrs. Creek?”  
  
Steven got offended and said, “Seriously?” His head shook in disappointment as he walked away from them to join Peedee in the corner. The two girls just shrugged it off and walked over to Connie.  
  
Steven leaned up against the wall next to Peedee, mimicking him by putting his hands in his pockets. “Maybe you were right, Peedee.” he said.  
  
“Right about what?” Peedee asked.  
  
“Right about not coming. I mean, you weren’t nice to my dad. And Connie’s friends won’t stop asking me about Mrs. Creek.” Steven explained.  
  
Peedee sighed and said, “I’m sorry, Steven. I’m a jerk and messed things up. I’ll just stop coming.”  
  
“No, this idea was stupid.” Steven responded. “There’s only like, seven of us kids here anyway.”  
  
Greg hung up his phone and strolled to the middle of the room for an announcement.  
  
“Kids, listen up.” He said with a smile.  
  
A small murmur from the kids echoed through the otherwise quiet room as they made it to their seats.  
  
Greg cleared his throat. “I was just on the phone with someone from the Mayor’s office in Ocean Town. I figured I could teach you all about charity and disaster relief by organizing a food drive. As you know, Ocean Town is a very troubled town, and constantly on fire. Plenty of families struggle to find food. Beach City and many other places in the county are much better off than them. It’s our duty as citizens, and as humans, to take care of each other.” Said Greg.  
  
Steven’s arm raised slowly.  
  
“Yes, Steven?” Greg asked.  
  
“Is that even safe?” asked Steven.  
  
“Yeah, the receptionist told me that their rioting and fires are Seasonal, and that there shouldn’t be any outbreaks for a couple more months. We should be fine.” Greg answered.  
  
“Oh, okay.” Steven said, lowering his hand.  
  
“Two weeks,” Greg stated. “Two weeks to collect dry and canned foods for the drive.”  
  
  
Greg then explained how charity and cooperation make communities thrive, and played some music with his guitar. The entire time, Steven’s mind was preoccupied with his conflicted feelings for Peedee and Connie. His guilt was a nest of pesky, filthy termites, chewing away at the very foundation of his relationship. Sooner or later, the truth was going to come out. Connie would eventually find out about him and Peedee’s betrayal. Steven knew Pearl’s advice would have to come to fruition, but he didn’t want to lie to Peedee. Eventually, the first Beach City youth group came to a close. Jeff, Onion, and the Junior Safety Patrol girls had gone home, while Connie and Peedee stayed to help Steven and Greg clean up.  
  
“Hey, Peedee. Everything okay there kiddo? You seemed really down in the dumps today.” Greg said, setting some chairs against the wall.  
  
Peedee avoided eye contact. “I’m fine, I’m just going through a lot of stuff right now.” Peedee replied.  
  
“Well, you could always talk about it. That’s what I’m here for.” Greg said with a smile.  
  
Peedee gulped. There’s no way he could tell Steven’s dad about the little fling that happened. “Uhhhh, no, thank you though. I’m- I mean, It’s nothing too serious.” He laughed nervously and pulled out his phone to check the time. “Oh wow, I should really get going!” He said unconvincingly.  
  
Greg opened his mouth to respond, but Peedee speed walked towards the door. Steven noticed Peedee leaving and waved.  
  
“See you later, Peedee! Safe walk home!” Steven shouted.  
  
“Yeah!” Peedee yelled back, leaving the warehouse.  
  
Connie smirked. “He’s so moody and dorky.” She said.  
  
“He just has a lot to deal with at the moment.” Steven replied.  
  
“Oh, it’s cool. I get that. Maybe I should ease up on him at school.” said Connie.  
  
Steven pulled out his phone and started texting. “Yeah, that’d be great.” He rolled his eyes as he scrolled through the Face Page app on his phone.  
  
“What?” Connie asked.  
  
“What do you mean, ‘what’? I agree with you.” Steven replied, not looking up.  
  
Connie put her hands on her hips. “No, you’re upset. What did I do?”  
  
Steven looked up at this point. “Gee, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that all you ever do is tease him. And now you wanna ease up on him because I say something about it?”  
  
“The boy is weird!” Connie shouted. “What do you want me to do, be his friend?”  
  
“Yes, Connie! I want you to be his friend!” Steven shouted back.  
  
Greg cleared his throat and chimed in, “Uhhh, fellas, I-”  
  
“Not now, Mr. Universe. We’re talking.” Connie interrupted.  
  
Steam rose from Steven as he clenched his fists. “Don’t talk to my dad that way!” Steven said.  
  
Connie crossed her arms and let out an agitated “Hmmph”.  
  
“You and Peedee have so much in common, why won’t you just be nice to him? Be his friend!”  
  
“Guys, I think you should…” Greg attempted to bud in again, but they ignored him.  
  
“That creep keeps trying to outdo me in school, attempting to show back up in your life when the two of you haven’t even actually hung out with each other in years, and now there’s rumors of him sleeping with school staff! I mean, what if it’s true? What if he’s only getting good grades because he’s porking the teachers? Huh? And not to mention what being friends with him would do to my popularity!”  
  
Steven’s voice cracked with fury. “Popularity? Is that what this is all about?” Steven asked.  
  
Connie looked away. She knew she was being shallow, and being called out on it did not make her happy.  
  
“Ever since I made you popular at school, you’ve been mean. Not to me of course, but to others. I see the comments on Face Page that you leave on other girls' pages before you delete them. It’s not cool, Connie.” Steven grabbed her hand. “You need to stop.”  
  
Connie started crying a little. “You don’t get it Steven. I used to be the nerdy kid. No one knew who I was, and those who did made fun of me. My only friend was a boy literally named Melvin. A ‘Melvin’ _named_ Melvin. You coming to school that one day was the best thing to happen to my social life. I can’t jeopardize that.”

  
“I’ll just wait in the car.” Greg sighed.  
  
Greg walked away while the two bickered with each other. He exited the warehouse and noticed Peedee approaching.  
  
“Hey Peedee, I thought you went home already?” Greg stated.  
  
Peedee made his way to the door and stopped. “I forgot my jacket.” He said.  
  
Greg quickly put his arm over the door. “You don’t wanna go in there right now. Steven and Connie are having a bit of a moment.”  
  
“Oh… I-I can just come back tomorrow then.” Peedee replied.  
  
A cold breeze kissed Peedee’s skin, causing him to shiver. Greg noticed it and gave his jacket to Peedee.  
  
“Just wait for them to finish, I’ll grab your jacket and take you home.” said Greg.  
  
Peedee smiled and put Greg’s jacket over his shoulders like a blanket.  
  
“Thanks Mr. Universe.” Peedee said.  
  
“You know, I’m glad you and Steven are spending more time together. You started working for your dad when you were nine. Steven was pretty lonely for a while after that.” Greg said.  
  
Peedee looked up at the night sky, watching the stars glitter like tacky rhinestones. He thought on that for a moment before responding.  
  
“Yeah, I guess that was pretty crappy of me to do.” Peedee sighed. “I just wanted to make my dad proud.”

  
“I’m going to tell you something I can’t tell Steven.” Greg said.  
  
Peedee turned his head to face greg. “What’s that?”  
  
“Steven really rushed into his relationship with Connie. I don’t think it’s really healthy or natural. I mean, I love him so much and I want it to work out. But, I know too well what happens when you rush into things. One second you’re in love, the next second you’re raising a half alien child who used to be your lover.” Greg explained.  
  
Peedee scrunched his face. “It sounds weird when you describe Steven like that.”  
  
Greg laughed. “Yeah, it does. But it’s true.” He frowned. “I just don’t think Steven actually loves Connie though. Not in the way Connie loves him.”  
  
“What do you mean by that?” Peedee asked.  
  
Greg rubbed the back of his head. “Well, this is just speculation, but I think he rushed into his relationship with Connie because he lacked friends his own age. To be honest, I didn’t even think he was straight. He would talk about you and Lars so much before Connie came into the picture. And when he was little, the only thing he ever wanted to do was ride those mechanical sea animals on the boardwalk with you. He never seemed to be interested in girls or typically masculine 'boy' things like sports and stuff.”  
  
Peedee blushed slightly. “I didn’t really think of all that.” Peedee replied.  
  
Greg placed a hand on Peedee’s shoulder. “It’s something you think a lot about when you’re a parent. I’m just worried he’ll get his heart broken.”  
  
The doors suddenly opened with Steven and Connie exiting the building. They awkwardly avoided eye contact with each other. But they were both surprised to see Peedee.  
  
“I thought you went home, Peedee?” Steven asked.  
  
Peedee took off Greg’s jacket and handed it back to him. Greg went back in to retrieve Peedee’s jacket, end came back out shortly after.  
  
“Here you go, kiddo.” Greg said as he handed it to Peedee.  
  
Peedee put it on and zipped it up. “Thanks, sir.”  
  
“Okay kids,” Greg stated. “Let’s get you all home and in bed.”  
  
The four of them piled into Greg’s van. Steven sat up front in the passenger seat while Connie and Peedee sat in the back on Greg’s mattress.  
  
“So, who am I taking home first?” Greg asked.  
  
“Me, my parents are probably freaking out right now.” Connie said.  
  
“Okay, hope you don’t mind a bit of a drive, Peedee.” Greg said.  
  
Peedee shrugged. “Eh, it’s cool.”  
  
Greg started his car and pulled onto the highway. The ride to Connie’s house was filled with silence. Connie wasn’t teasing Peedee like she usually did. In fact, she wasn’t even acknowledging him. Her attention was kept solely on her phone. Peedee was deep in thought. He was still processing the information that Greg had entrusted him with. The tension in the air made everyone uneasy.  
  
And that’s pretty much how the night ended. Connie made it home, then Peedee, and then Steven. As Greg drove away from the house, Steven went inside. He trudged up the stairs to his loft and flopped onto the bed. Steven kicked his flip-flops off and crawled underneath his blanket. He didn’t feel like changing his clothes. Steven sadly flipped through his phone, looking at pictures of him with Connie. There were selfies they took on the beach, pictures of Amethyst and Connie messing with Pearl, and pictures of Connie casually doing things like reading a book. Typically, these pictures would make Steven happy, fill his heart with flutters and warmth. But Steven had something different in his heart now. Disappointment. He didn’t think Connie would become so shallow and mean. It wasn’t the same Connie he fell in love with. But then Steven came across another picture.  
  
It was a picture of Peedee swatting at seagulls that had attacked the fry stand. Steven chuckled. He remembered taking this pic months ago. He ordered the bits, but then a flock of seagulls attacked them. Very typical thing to happen in Beach City. Steven smiled warmly. He then went onto Face Page and onto Peedee’s page. He scrolled through Peedee’s photo album and found a picture of him shirtless after a track meet. With the flick of his index finger and thumb, Steven zoomed in on that specific picture. He scanned Peedee’s sweaty toned body. This caused his penis to harden and press against his tightening jeans. Steven removed his pants and underwear, then covered himself with his blanket. While he focused on the picture of Peedee, his stroked his cock. Fantasizing over Peedee pounding his pudgy rear, Steven moaned softly. A wave of heat flashed over his cheeks and his dick tingled. Precum oozed and covered his fat fingers as he played with his foreskin.  
  
“I love you, Peedee…” Steven whispered to himself, kissing the screen of his phone.  
  
Steven’s body tightened as he came all over his blanket. I tiredness over took him, and he set his phone on the nightstand. He decided he’d clean up in the morning, and quickly nodded off to sleep. Lion, having been there the entire time, stared out the window with a look of consternation.


End file.
